The issue of censorship has been brought up by countless anime fans. Censorship or shadowing has been used in a number of series to cover some aspects of the show that might be disturbing or inappropriate for viewers. Seems reasonable, doesn't it? Then what is the problem with censorship?
Two biggest elements that have always required censoring are sexual themes and violence. The desire to hide those things is perfectly understandable. Anime varies tremendously in genres, series are made for different age groups, and the requirements for an action adventure show for teenagers shouldn't be the same as the ones for dark adult titles.
The nudity issue seems less complex than the violence one. For example, let's talk about a sex scene.
The viewer doesn't need to see all the details to understand what's happening on the screen, a hint to the action is usually pretty enough. Showing everything explicitly is not necessary, we're not trying to turn every show into hentai.
However, there have been heated debates all around the world as to what might be considered appropriate when it comes to nudity. For instance, feminists have been trying to prove that women's breasts should not be censored in any media as they are not a sexual object.
When it comes to violence, fans almost simultaneously say that there shouldn't be any censorship. If you're watching a brutal show, you have to be ready for what's coming. It's natural that when a character has their limb cut off or their body wounded, there would be blood.
Of course, just like with sex scenes, the viewer is smart enough to guess what's happening, but when it comes to cruelty, the methods of censorship differ. Some series make disturbing scenes blurry or shadowed, some change the color of blood to white (which has generated tons of memes, by the way), some cut the scene the way the viewer is incapable of seeing severed limbs.
While being effective, these methods ruin the immersion for some fans. They say it looks completely unrealistic and even comical, which doesn't do the atmosphere of a series any good. Imagine you're in the middle of a dynamic and heated fight scene, and then you see that half of your screen is just black. It's distracting and kind of annoying.
Still, there are plenty of teenage stories that include action scenes that sometimes result in death or injuries of characters, so censorship might not be the worst thing since younger viewers are often impressionable, and fans understand that, of course.
The point is that censorship doesn't need to ruin adult shows which were never targeted at the young audiences. These series may just put a warning instead and everyone who can't stand gore and cruelty will just skip the anime.
And is it really that bad?
The issue of censorship has been brought up by countless anime fans. Censorship or shadowing has been used in a number of series to cover some aspects of the show that might be disturbing or inappropriate for viewers. Seems reasonable, doesn't it? Then what is the problem with censorship?
Two biggest elements that have always required censoring are sexual themes and violence. The desire to hide those things is perfectly understandable. Anime varies tremendously in genres, series are made for different age groups, and the requirements for an action adventure show for teenagers shouldn't be the same as the ones for dark adult titles.
The nudity issue seems less complex than the violence one. For example, let's talk about a sex scene.
The viewer doesn't need to see all the details to understand what's happening on the screen, a hint to the action is usually pretty enough. Showing everything explicitly is not necessary, we're not trying to turn every show into hentai.
However, there have been heated debates all around the world as to what might be considered appropriate when it comes to nudity. For instance, feminists have been trying to prove that women's breasts should not be censored in any media as they are not a sexual object.
When it comes to violence, fans almost simultaneously say that there shouldn't be any censorship. If you're watching a brutal show, you have to be ready for what's coming. It's natural that when a character has their limb cut off or their body wounded, there would be blood.
Of course, just like with sex scenes, the viewer is smart enough to guess what's happening, but when it comes to cruelty, the methods of censorship differ. Some series make disturbing scenes blurry or shadowed, some change the color of blood to white (which has generated tons of memes, by the way), some cut the scene the way the viewer is incapable of seeing severed limbs.
While being effective, these methods ruin the immersion for some fans. They say it looks completely unrealistic and even comical, which doesn't do the atmosphere of a series any good. Imagine you're in the middle of a dynamic and heated fight scene, and then you see that half of your screen is just black. It's distracting and kind of annoying.
Still, there are plenty of teenage stories that include action scenes that sometimes result in death or injuries of characters, so censorship might not be the worst thing since younger viewers are often impressionable, and fans understand that, of course.
The point is that censorship doesn't need to ruin adult shows which were never targeted at the young audiences. These series may just put a warning instead and everyone who can't stand gore and cruelty will just skip the anime.
